Les Aubaguetes 2020

Give this time in the glass and it will shine, offering crushed violets, blueberries and slate. The excitement builds up on the nose, with the breadth of the complexity and the depth of blue fruit. Mineral and full-bodied, but effortlessly rendered with immaculate tannins and freshness that linger to a persistent finish that’s full of flowers and blueberries. Really fine and endless. Already delicious, but will drink beautifully over the next two decades. Decant to enjoy now.

The very classical and powerful 2020 Les Aubaguetes was produced with a blend of 70% Garnacha, 27% Cariñena and 3% white grapes (that were not used in 2021), and that might be the reason why the pH is a little lower, 3.39. The grapes were picked very early, and the wine fermented with 70% full clusters. The wine is truly superb, with depth and complexity, powerful and ripe without excess (14.5% alcohol) with concentration and elegance. It feels like everything is where it should be, and it's one wine that feels even better than the 2021. 2020 was a year of mildew that decimated the crop, and there are only 1,684 bottles and some larger formats. It was bottled in April 2022.

From the most continental part of Priorat, in a vineyard that was planted in 1901. This vintage is unusually dark in colour and includes 27% Cariñena and 3% white varieties. Perfumed with baskets of cherries on the nose, then graphite and plenty more in the mouth. The freshness is neatly in balance, with firm, savoury tannins to finish: Alvaro Palacios describes them as 'Herculean'. There’s a persistent drive of redcurrant adding to the intensity. 1,733 bottles produced (usually 2,900).